经济学人:晕动病

语言小天地2019-08-14 15:41:32

key words:

Motion sickness

The upchuck wagon

How not to feel queasy in a self-driving motor car

外刊原文

Expectations are high, among those boosting the idea of self-driving cars, that people will be able to do other things, such as reading, working on a laptop or having a nap, when riding in such a vehicle. But for many that is an unlikely prospect. Apart from those who have no intention of even getting into an autonomous car, which currently amounts to some 23% of Americans, another 36% would be willing to ride but would not take their eyes off the road, according to a study published in 2014 by the University of Michigan. Some of those people will be looking out of the window because it helps to avoid nausea, dizziness and vomiting, particularly if they are among the 5-10% of the population who regularly experience the unpleasant symptoms of motion sickness.

Help, though, is at hand. The selfsame authors of the Michigan study, Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, who both work for the university’s Transportation Research Institute, have just been awarded a patent for a device that could act as a countermeasure against the malady.

Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between signals arriving in the brain from the inner ear (which forms the base of the vestibular system, the sensory apparatus that deals with movement and balance, and which detects motion mechanically), and from the eyes, which detect motion optically. If someone is looking at a stationary object within a vehicle, such as a magazine, his eyes will inform his brain that what he is viewing is not moving. His inner ears, however, will contradict this by sensing the motion of the vehicle. The resulting confusion, at least according to one theory, leads his brain to conclude that he is hallucinating because he has ingested poison. Hence the need to throw up, to rid the stomach of any toxins.

The idea that Dr Sivak and Mr Schoettle have come up with is to arrange for an array of small lights to appear in the periphery of a potential sufferer’s field of view, meaning that these lights can be seen regardless of what the person in question is looking at. Such lights, most probably small panels of LEDs, could be fitted into a headset, a hat or onto the frame of a pair of glasses. They would be controlled by various motion sensors and blink on and off in a way that is designed to mimic the velocity, rolling, pitching and other movements of a vehicle.

For the wearer of such kit, the effect would be to provide a visual response that corresponds to the movements the inner ear is detecting. So, for instance, a panel of LEDs positioned at the side of each eye might flash from the front to the back when a vehicle is moving forward but stop when it is braking. Similarly, the lights could blink in sequence towards the left if the car was turning left. The speed of the flashing and the brightness of the lights could be turned to match the intensity of the movement, such as the vehicle’s rate of acceleration. Dr Sivak and Mr Schoettle think the light arrays could also be fitted to various parts of vehicles’ interiors, such as their door pillars, sidewalks and seats. That way a passenger would be aware of them without having to don special equipment.

The Michigan team are making a prototype and the university, which hopes to commercialise the idea, is in discussions with carmakers and automotive suppliers. The system could, of course, also be used by passengers who feel sick in cars with a driver at the wheel -- a fate to which children seem particularly susceptible, for reasons that remain obscure. It might also help with other forms of motion sickness, such as airsickness or seasickness, although the ways aircraft and boats move are different from the movement of cars. For many, helping people feel well in cars would be enough. And for taxi companies like Uber and Lyft, which are planning to offer autonomous vehicles that can be summoned by an app, the flashing lights could save a fortune in cleaning bills.

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双语译文

01

Expectations are high, among those boosting the idea of self-driving cars, [that people will be able to do other things, such as reading, working on a laptop or having a nap, (when riding in such a vehicle)]. But for many that isan unlikely prospect. Apart from those (who have no intention of even getting into an autonomous car), (which currently amounts to some 23% of Americans,) another 36% would be willing to ride but would nottake their eyes off the road, according to a study published in 2014 by the University of Michigan. Some of those people will be looking out of the window because it helps to avoid nausea, dizziness and vomiting, particularly if they are among the 5-10% of the population (who regularly experience the unpleasant symptoms of motion sickness).

Help, though, isat hand. The selfsame authors of the Michigan study, Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, (who both work for the university’s Transportation Research Institute), have just been awarded a patent for a device (that could act as a countermeasure against the malady).

Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between signals arriving in the brain from the inner ear (which forms the base of the vestibular system, (the sensory apparatus that deals with movement and balance,) and which detects motion mechanically), and from the eyes, (which detect motion optically). If someone is looking ata stationary object within a vehicle, such as a magazine, his eyes will inform his brain [that (what he is viewing)is not moving]. His inner ears, however, will contradict this by sensing the motion of the vehicle. The resulting confusion, at least according to one theory, leads his brain to conclude (that he is hallucinating because he has ingested poison). Hence the need to throw up, to rid the stomach of any toxins.

The idea (that Dr Sivak and Mr Schoettle have come up with)is to arrange for an array of small lights to appear in the periphery of a potential sufferer’s field of view, meaning that these lights can be seen regardless of what the person in question is looking at. Such lights, most probably small panels of LEDs, could be fitted into a headset, a hat or onto the frame of a pair of glasses. They would be controlled by various motion sensors and blink on and off in a way (that is designed to mimic the velocity, rolling, pitching and other movements of a vehicle).

For the wearer of such kit, the effect would be to provide a visual response[that corresponds to the movements (the inner ear is detecting)]. So, for instance, a panel of LEDs positioned at the side of each eye might flashfrom the front to the back (when a vehicle is moving forward) but stop(when it is braking). Similarly, the lights could blinkin sequence towards the left if the car was turning left. The speed of the flashing and the brightness of the lights could be turned to match the intensity of the movement, such as the vehicle’s rate of acceleration. Dr Sivak and Mr Schoettle think(the light arrays could also be fitted to various parts of vehicles’ interiors, such as their door pillars, sidewalks and seats). That way a passenger would be aware of them without having to don special equipment.

The Michigan team are making a prototype and the university, (which hopes to commercialise the idea), is in discussions with carmakers and automotive suppliers. The system could, of course, also be used by passengers (who feel sick in cars with a driver at the wheel -- a fate to which children seem particularly susceptible, for reasons that remain obscure). It might also help with other forms of motion sickness, such as airsickness or seasickness, although the ways (aircraft and boats move)are different from the movement of cars. For many, helping people feel well in cars would be enough. And for taxi companies like Uber and Lyft, [which are planning to offer autonomous vehicles (that can be summoned by an app)], the flashing lights could save a fortune in cleaning bills.